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After GOD, Family and Texas There's Texas Music and BBQ This Page is Dedicated to those two passions! |
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| TEXAS MUSICIANS - | ||
| Tommy Alverson - Here's what you call the complete package. Tommy is a fine guitarist, excellent singer, solid songwriter, and accomplished producer along with being a fine human being. He knows how to keep it country. The real stuff, here. | ||
| Guy Clark - The man. THE MAN. The Dean of Texas Country. Guy's been writing' for over 30 years, and he's kept the quality up better for longer than anybody else. Flat-out tremendous country-folk writer. | ||
| Steve Earle - Long the "bad boy outlaw" of Nashville, this San Antonio-born picker was too rock for country and too country for rocknroll. Bedeviled for years by a heroin addiction, he got busted, got clean, stayed clean and has since made 5 CD's that are just fabulous, including one all acoustic, one straight-up Bluegrass, and about the best rockin' country around. If you don't own a copy of "El Corazon" go get one. Now. His last two releases, "Jerusalem" and "The Revolution Starts Now" are much darker and apocolyptic, and politcally strident. | ||
| Nathan Hamilton - Both of Nathan Hamilton's self-produced CD's feature remarkably excellent sound quality, but I think of him most of all as a POET; his lyrics are just amazing at times. The first CD, "Tuscola", has spots where the words get in the way of the song and cause the tune to drag, but the overall result is both unique and riveting. "All For Love and Wages" has no such shortcomings--it's an artist's artist at full power. I just wish Nathan knew how to lighten up once in a while--"…Love&Wages" is sooo intense that it'll wear ya out just listening to it. His recent live CD shows he can deliver onstage as well as the studio. Remarkable but obscure work that every serious Texas Music fan should own. | ||
| The Hangdogs - The only real honk-tonk band from New York City! No joke, these guys may live in NYC and call themselves "roots rockers" but they sound like a Texas band, playing on the rockin' end of the country/rock/honky-tonk-stomp with a little twang thang. Check 'em out & you'll see why they had as many fans in Texas as the frozen northlands. "East of Yesterday" remains my favorite of their 3 CD''s but Wallce 48 nis solid as well and they're all good. | ||
| John Hiatt - OK, he's from Indiana and lives in Tennessee, and he's not country. The man sure does write great songs though. "Crossing Muddy Water" is very rootsy and flat-out awesome. | ||
| Brian Houser - The second CD, "Son of a Common Man" is outstanding--one of the year's very best. Excellent songwriting-nice melodies-intelligent lyrics (smart but not dry!), and this guy can really sing. Brian's blessed with a rich baritone with a pleasant bit of gravel and the wonderful natural sound of Lloyd Maines' production really shows it off, along with a super clean and lean mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation. 2004's "Simple Lives" is more of the same with some really impressive instumental passages. Never pass the opportunity to listen to Llyod Maines turn himself loose, and he does just that on a cover of Thin Lizzie's "Cowboy Song" Although they don't sound all that similar, I'm reminded of a more-country version of Max Stalling with Merel Haggard sensibilities. You're gonna love listening to this guy. Great people off-stage, too. | ||
| Ray Wilie Hubbard - One of the "old-timers", best known for writing "Redneck Mother" over 30 years ago, Ray Wylie's recent stuff shows great depth and resonance. | ||
| Robert Earl Keen - REK may well be a victim of his own success-seems like his recent work is almost parodying himself. Known best for "The Road Goes On Forever" and his let's-get drunk-&yeehaa kinda tunes, his quiet stuff may be some of the best in the genre. Check out his early CD's for sure, they're much better than the latest ones. | ||
| Lone Star Music - Most of the REALLY good Texas Music CD's are hard to find, but these guys have everybody! Good prices, very good service, just a pleasure to buy from. | ||
| The Macon Greyson Band - Good band, two good CD's both produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard, good web page. Buddy Huffmann is the driving force here and Buddy not only has brains (he's PhD and a Jr. College professor) but a super nice guy with an active (if twisted) sense of humor! | ||
| Toni Price - Can't claim this wonderful singer as Texas-born (durn!) but she's been a mainstay of the Austin scene for many years now. They don't get any better than this lady. Jazzy and cool but still passionate, Every one of her releases qualifies as a real gem. | ||
| Max Stalling - Max is a personal favorite. All three of his CD's made my "best of the year" lists when they came out (can't say that about anyone else). Even my mom likes this guy's work. Wonderful intelligent songs, largely acoustic instrumentation, great production make for stimulating music that remains mellow. Really, REALLY nice guy, too. | ||
| Larry Joe Taylor - Whaddaguy! Larry Joe was smart enough to realize that the new Texas Country scene needed a rallying point, so he started a Texas Music Festival and Chili Cookoff that has grown into the modern version of the old Willie Nelson Picnics. Most fun you can have with yer clothes on. He's a fine song writer as well and lots o' fun live. "Coastal and Western" was a real pivotal CD, one of the first to showcase Lloyd Maines's producing abilities and it still sounds fresh today! CHECK OUT THIS WEBPAGE. LJT has links to durn near everybody playing good Texas Country Music! | ||
| Chris Wall - Jerry Jeff Walker brought Chris Wall to Austin to write for him. Now Chris has his own label and has shown himself to be THE BEST pure honky-tonk writer alive. He's got a strong, deep baritone and all his recent releases kick major butt. "Just Another Place" and "Tainted Angel" should be in your collection. If you like country at all, you gotta love'm. | ||
| KNON -FM - True community radio at it's finest, this station has no commercials, paid DJ's, or playlists. The format changes very frequently with the Texas Music Shows running from 4-6 PM Mon-Fri. Listen at 89.3FM in DFW or on the net, and don't forget to pledge! | ||
| BBQ SITES - | ||
| BBQ Pits by Klose - These are the "Best Pits on the Market" No Joke. Dave is the only manufacturer that I know that actually charts heat flow through his pits. He's the best. | ||
| IBCA - The International BBQ Cookers Association sanctions BBQ cookoffs and is largely responsible for bringing a consistent judging format and order to the huge but chaotic Texas BBQ scene. We have MANY more cookoffs in Texas than anywhere else, and the IBCA is the main reason that they work. I'm very proud to be a Founding Father and past president. | ||
| OTHER STUFF - | ||
| web genius - Ritch Wright at WrightIdea is the reason we've got this spiffy website. You need a web page? Here's your go-to man. | ||
| Bill Phelps - Bill took all the photos on this page. Need photography in the DFW area? Call Bill. | ||